Gender violence through deepfake on Telegram shakes South Korea

In recent weeks, South Korea has been shaken by the discovery of numerous Telegram chat rooms distributing “deepfake” pornographic material created from manipulated photos of women. This scandal has unleashed a wave of fear and outrage across the country. Victims include high school students, university students, teachers and even military personnel. The shock has been all the greater because many of the victims are minors.

The situation is alarming. One of the reported chat rooms has more than 133,000 members, underlining the scale of the problem. Authorities have reported that perpetrators use social media platforms such as Instagram to obtain photos of women, which are then digitally manipulated to create these deepfakes. In addition, bot programs have been found to generate these videos that are then shared in these perverse online communities.

The fight against gender violence in South Korea

South Korean women continually face the consequences of a society marked by deep misogynistic tendencies. This reality manifests itself in various ways, from job discrimination to gender violence (issues that even today remain naturalized in most cases), but one of the most alarming and evident forms of this institutionalized machismo is now reflected in the invasive and non-consensual use of technology.

In recent years, South Korea has seen a number of scandals involving the invasion of women’s privacy. Hidden cameras in public toilets and changing rooms, commonly known as “spy cams,” capture images and videos of women without their consent, or upskirt photography, an act that is not only illegal but deeply derogatory. Despite laws prohibiting such actions, the prevalence of such incidents demonstrates a systematic lack of respect for women and a culture that downplays their importance and safety.

The problem is compounded by the sometimes inadequate response of the authorities and the legal system. While there has been progress over the years in legislation with regard to protecting women and punishing those responsible, the effective implementation and enforcement of these laws remains weak. Cases sometimes face bureaucratic barriers and a judicial system that sometimes fails to adequately address the magnitude of the problem.

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The fear among women is palpable these days. Advice to switch profiles to private or delete personal photos has multiplied online. At a high school in Gyeonggi Province, the student council even posted a warning on Instagram, advising female students to delete their photos due to the circulation of deepfakes on Telegram. Kim, an office worker in her 30s, expressed concern when she discovered what was happening and decided to delete all her selfies from her Instagram account.

South Korean authorities have taken care to respond to this situation as quickly as possible. National Police Agency has received almost 300 complaints related to sexual crimes involving deepfakes between January and July of this year.

The seriousness of the situation is further exacerbated by the fact that of the 178 people accused, more than 73% were teenagers. In an effort to combat this phenomenon, the South Korean government has announced the creation of an institute dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI) security. This center will focus on addressing the risks associated with technologies such as deepfakes.

The government has also taken significant steps to restrict the employment of sex offenders in institutions dealing with minors. Some 2,300 additional centres dedicated to this task have been added. Among these, social assistance centres for adolescents and support centres for multicultural families are added to the list of places where it is prohibited to employ people convicted of sexual offences. This measure is part of a review of the Law on Sexual Offences against Minors, which tightens employment restrictions for offenders.

The rapid development of artificial intelligence and digital manipulation technologies has created a new battlefield in the fight against sexual crimes. In this light, and considering the critical situation facing South Korea regarding gender issues, constant surveillance, public education and international cooperation will be essential to face pre-existing and future challenges.

Ultimately, the success of these initiatives will depend on the country’s ability, in this case, to adapt quickly to technological changes and on the collective will to report and combat these crimes. Only through a unified approach will it be possible to prevent more people from becoming victims of these dangerous digital manipulations.